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FROM A BLENDED COMMUNITY COME BLENDED TRADITIONS AND CULTURE. With close connections to the Copper Inuit of the Kugluktuk region of Nunavut, Ulukhaktok is home to more than one style of Inuit tradition and drum dance, as Inuit from both the west and central regions of the Arctic call the 400-person community home. The Kangikyoangmiot Drummers and Dancers represent the central style and traditions of drum dance. Differing from the western style, here viewers will see the men dancing with the drums along with the women, while the songs last much longer and can be several pages in length. The drums are larger, while the sticks are shorter and stubbier. Each song is rich in the history of the Copper Inuit, who lived off the land of Prince Albert Sound. Songs range in subject matter, from animals to healing and the seasons, and there are several types of dances. Freestyle dances always follow immediately after a drum song, and the dancer always follows the direction of the sun when dancing with the drum. More than one person can compose a song, and people can add verses to older pieces. Drum songs come in two parts, with the soft and slow beginning, and then gaining excitement and speed in the main verse. Traditionally, drum dancing would follow hunts, whether they were successful or not. No part of the animal, from bone marrow to tendons, would be wasted after a successful hunt. The catch would be distributed throughout the community and a celebration would take place. Sometimes, different camps and hunters would join to celebrate and challenge each other through clothing and songs. The celebrations are always meant to give thankfulness for what they have caught, and the music and movements come from a place of happiness and storytelling. For Crystal Anne Kuneyuna, the group helps keep her connected to the generations in her family, as she often dances with her aunt Emily Kudlak and great-aunt Agnes Kuptana. “I have been observing this tradition since I was three years old,” she said. “I only started to drum dance in public when I was an adult. I started to drum dance with the Kangikyoangmiot Drummers and Dancers when my uncle Adam Kudlak gave me my first drum.” Through intermarriage, Copper Inuit and Inuvialuit have combined to build a strong, culturally rich community in Ulukhaktok, where dancers often perform both of their lineages’ style of dances.
